10 Best Portable Inverter Generator Reviews – Powerful And Affordable (2024)

Quiet Operation

Under the hood of the WEN, we have a 79.7 cc 4-stroke OHV engine runs at 51dB, which is the same sound produced at normal conversation. What this means is that you can go camping or tailgating, and stay charged without disrupting the fun of everyone around you.

Clean Energy-Minimal Harmonic Distortion

Leveraging the sine waveform of energy, WEN 56200i generate clean energy that is free from voltage spikes and drops.

Contrary to the other form of energy, you'll not need to worry about a sudden surge destroying your devices. Beyond protecting your devices, this form of energy is also more environmentally friendly.

Highly Portable

Weighing at a mere 48 pounds with a convenient carrying handle to maximize portability, the WEN is indeed lightweight and easy to move around without much strain.

Featuring a cuboidal design that resembles a suitcase, the WEN is easy to stow ways and transport, making it a handy equipment where space is of the essence.

Parallel Connection Capability

Need more power than 2000 watts?

The WEN 56200i Parallel Connection Kit allows you to hook up a second generator to get the additional power.

Eco Mode

The eco mode is an awesome performance feature that lets you maximize the fuel economy. By engaging this mode, you will allow the generator’s motor to adjust its fuel consumption to minimal.

Reliable Power Output

At the heart of the Champion is a 171 cc overhead valve engine that is both reliable and powerful producing a total of 3100 surge watts and 2800 running watts.

With this kind of power, you can run a variety of rather large appliances at home or job sites. The generator is so powerful that it will satiate even the large power tools and even the power-hungriest appliances such as conditioners, and this makes it an ideal choice for RV use as well.

Quiet Operation

With a noise level rated at 58 decibels when measured at 23 feet, the Champion is relatively quiet.

At 58dB, the Champion is a tad louder than a majority of the common lower wattage inverter, and many consumers report that the generator is louder than they expected.

The good news is that at 58dB, the Champion is way quieter than most of the 3000-watt inverter generator in its class.

Ideal for RVs and Camping

Weighing at 80 pounds, alongside wheels and a foldaway handle, this makes the Champion ideal for RVs and camping.

Though the 80 pounds is still a weighty generator, we have seen many portable generators weighing 100-220 pounds or more and stretching the definition of "portable," But at less than 100 pounds, the Champion is quite mobile and easier to use at multiple locations.

Environmental-friendly and Fuel Efficient

Generators can be fuel guzzlers.  Fortunately, with the Champion, you get a CARB-Compliant generator with both reduced emissions and better fuel economy.

Further, this unit features a smart economy mode which promotes quieter operation, while boosting better fuel efficiency.

Easy to Use Control Panel

Sporting a Quick Touch Panel, the Champion is easy to use as it allows you to access all your controls in a single spot.

Quiet Operation

The Smart Throttle system, a great muffler, and a noise-reducing rubber vibration isolation effect are all fitted on the Yamaha to make it more accommodative and quiet.

At a quarter load, this generator produces 51.5 decibels, which is very quiet and you won’t even hear it from a reasonable distance.

For comparison, the noise generated is about as loud as a quiet conversation at home.

Smart Operation

A load sensing mechanism of this generator allows you to adjust the speeds of the engine to match the load and this translates to better fuel efficiency as well as noise control.

Stability

Selecting a generator that offers stable power output is of the essence if you do not want to fry your devices.

This Yamaha power source uses Pulse Width Modulation, coupled with their Pure Sine wave inverter system that will give you both voltage and frequency levels that are compatible with even your most sensitive electronics.

Portability

When it comes to size and portability, Yamaha generator will surely give you a smooth time carrying it along with you and transporting it. The generator is small, highly portable and lightweight.

Weighing at a mere 41 pounds coupled with a built-in handle, the Yamaha Ef2000iSv2 is portable as it can ever get.

Sleek Design

The P2200 was made with campers and tailgaters in mind, and it shows. For starters, the sleek, lightweight design is not only appealing to the eyes but incredibly easy to transport.

Coming at a mere 54 pounds coupled with supporting H-handle design, it’s quite easy to move this generator from one place to the other and better yet, it offers enough room for two people to share the load.

Reliable Power

Now to the ever so important subject of power, this compact powerhouse includes an OHV engine capable of generating 2,200 watts starting watts and 1,700 running watts.

The engine comes alongside a one-gallon fuel tank that runs at just 25% of the load and will allow you to power your necessities for up to eight consecutive hours.

Parallel Connection

It’s evident that the Briggs P2200 will not be able to power all your heavy duty appliances. The good news, however, is that it comes with a parallel connection system that will allow you to connect two such engines for more power.

While the parallel connection system is a standard in our list of the best portable inverter generator, what makes the Briggs and Stratton system unique is that it allows you to connect two mismatch engines, i.e., engines with different power outputs. For instance, you can connect the P2200 with the P3000 for more power.

Versatility

Built to power a variety of electrical appliances, the Briggs P2200 comes with two different types o power source receptacles.

The first is a 12V DC port that allows for any cigarettes lighter style to be used and is great for charging phones, tablets, and any other 12V power source.

The generator also houses two 120V electrical outlets for the major household appliances such as refrigerator, and microwave.

5. Yamaha EF2400iSHC

The Yamaha EF2400Ishc is just the perfect RV or smaller backup generator for the average consumer. This little powerhouse packs a punch and offers lots of super-clean power. More importantly, the entire unit runs with efficiency, and quietly.

Don’t let the size deceive you; though compact, this dynamo will provide you with 2,000 watts of continuous power and can surge up to 2,400 watts.

What I like most about this portable inverter generator is that its relatively lightweight, fuel efficient, aesthetic and comes in a usable continuous 2000-watt size range.

A major highlight on the Yamaha EF2400Ishc is that it complies with the engine durability ratings by both the EPA as well as the California Air Resources Board, and as such, it’s among the most reliable and technically advanced portable generators in the market.

The Yamaha engine utilizes unleaded gas as its fuel source and is capable of holding up to 1.6 gallons of fuel at a time. The engine has the capability of an incredible run of 8.6 hours at 25% and 6.5 at 50%.

6. Champion 3400 (B01FAWMMEY/)

With the Champion 3400, you can connect your sensitive electronics with confidence, thanks to the clean power (Less than 3% THD) generated by this inverter.

Sporting an oil shut-off sensor, this 0.6-quart inverter is designed with your safety in mind.

7. Briggs & Stratton 30545 P3000 

With a starting wattage of 3000 watts and a running wattage of 2600 watts, this inverter is designed primarily for RVs and small businesses. However, the inverter generator can also be used as a partial home backup for power outages, though its power supply is on the lower side.

9. Champion 3100

Utilizing a Wireless Remote technology, it means you can leave this generator out in the garage and still switch it on from inside the house. What’s more? All the generator controls are conveniently located in one area rather than being scattered in different locations, and this helps with easy and better control.

10. Westinghouse iGen2200

The Westinghouse inverter generator has an appealing compact and modest design that is devoid of complex controls and features.

In my opinion at the very least, this generator is a simple power source that is exclusively designed for a single purpose: to deliver clean and reliable power.

In a classic blue finish, this generator is also attractive, and it wouldn't look out of place wherever you decide to use it.

Portable Inverter Generator Buying Guide

This article aims to ensure that you are happy with your purchase. For this to happen the value, an invertible generator offers must exceed or at the very least correspond with the price you pay for it.

While you can count the money, you can never count value. The good news is that you can get a feel for it if you know where to look.

This section is all about getting the value for your money.

Why Should You Choose an Inverter Generator Over a Conventional/Regular Generator?

Both conventional and inverter generators are an awesome source of power. But why would you consider an inverter generator over the regular generator?

Let’s look at some of the benefits of inverter generators over the regular generators.

Noise

The issue of noise is one that truly separates these two categories of generators. Inverter generators are often designed from the ground up to be comparatively quiet.

In any case, these generators are fitted with quieter engines, special mufflers, and sound dampening technology to reduce noise to amazingly low levels.

The maximum noise levels that you can get with an inverter generator is 60 decibels, and to give you a reference for this noise, 60dB is similar to the conversations in an office environment. So, pretty quiet.

Fuel Efficiency

Given that a majority of the inverter generators are small and compact, they have limited fuel tanks translating to lower consumption.

An inverter fuel efficiency can translate to saving as much as 40%, and this will save your money and help to reduce exhaust emissions.

Clean Output

Inverter generators use a rectifier to convert the AC power to DC and capacitors to smooth the power to a certain degree.

With an inverter generator, the output is well regulated, and the inverter system produces consistent power characteristics independent of the engine speed.

The results are much "cleaner" power, i.e., "pure sine waves."

Why is this important?

A majority of the electronics use a sophisticated circuitry of microprocessors; having clean power is of the essence. Given that these microprocessors are extremely sensitive to the quality of electricity using "unclean" electricity can cause the malfunctioning of the devices or even damage to the device.

Size / Weight / Portability

A majority of the inverter generators are generally small, compact and lightweight for electrical generation.

In any case, their dimensions are just about cubic feet, with their weight ranging in between 30 to 50 pounds.

This is to mean the inverter generators are a breeze to transport and store, and they will easily fit in your car, RV or boat when going for a hike.

This is as opposed to the conventional generators, which are bulky, heavy and often requiring substantial metal frame and wheels.

Parallel Operation

5 Reasons You Would Want to Buy an Inverter Generator

There is always a huge decision to make when buying a generator. If you are stuck at whether to buy a portable inverter generator, here are five scenarios that would make the inverter unit an excellent choice;

1) I Want to Watch TV While Tailgating

At times, you want to be into two places at once-you want to keep the party going and at the same time, want to catch your favorite TV show. If this is you, then you would want to consider an inverter generator.

Inverter generators are convenient, lightweight and compact, and this makes them truly and easily portable.

With these units, you can throw them alongside your TV in your trunk and still have extra space for a cooler.

2) I Can’t Stand Noise

If you’re anything like me, noises drive me crazy, especially when I’m reading my favorite book.

Solution?

Get an inverter generator that will keep the noises at a bare minimum.

Better yet, you’ll not have your neighbors cursing and frowning on you when you meet next.

3) I Only Need to Charge my Cell Phone

If you are looking forward to charging your phone or any other sensitive electronics such as laptops, computers or tablets, an inverter generator is practically a requirement.

As we mentioned earlier, an inverter generator will provide a much smoother stream of electricity, and greatly reduce the odds of destroying them.

4) I Don’t Want to Kill the Planet

While all the generators use some form of fossil fuel, meaning none of them improves the health of the planet, the inverter generator is much more fuel-efficient.

Beyond fuel efficiency, they don’t produce much electricity, thus giving any of them a smaller environmental footprint, as they only generate as much electricity as is demanded of them.

5) Don’t Want to Refuel After Every 5 Minutes

If you are hoping to turn on the generator on and leave it running for most of the day without worrying about the oil levels, you need an inverter generator.

Though it does not hold as much fuel as the conventional generator, it has an automatic oil shutoff system that will switch off the generator once it detects low oil levels.

How to Select the Right Generator for the Job?

Choosing the right inverter generator has always been a daunting task for many. However, it does not need to be so; in the section below, we shall highlight everything you need to know on selecting the right powerhouse for the job.

1) Determine your power needs: Before making a purchase, ask yourself what you will need to power. Make a list of all the electronics that you intend to power. Is it a TV, phone charging, microwave or the refrigerator? Some of the families might require power for their in-home medical equipment, while others need to ensure they have sufficient power to keep stocked supplies in ice. For the outdoor enthusiasts, make a list of the heating or entertainment appliances or accessories that your family and friends will be using at once.

2) Determine what it takes to start each appliance: Ensure that you can start (not simply run) your appliances.

Understanding Wattage Requirements

There are two basic power requirements that you should consider before making a purchase.

The first one is the starting wattage also known as startup power, max watt or peak power. It's is the amount of wattage required to start an appliance with a motor, and might twice the wattage required to run the appliance.

The second power measurement is the continuous power, which is the amount of wattage required for the operation of your appliances under normal load.

Here is a breakdown of the starting wattage and continuous wattage of some of the popular household and job site equipment.